The invention relates to a feeder device for loose bulk components; particularly a feeder device for receiving randomly oriented components, and releasing each of the components having a desired orientation, for utilization in a crimping machine or other component fed apparatus.
Small elongated components are in common use throughout industry, and various devices and machines have been developed to facilitate the handling and utilization of these components, particular for automated processes into larger systems. Examples of such small elongated components include the various sizes and shapes of electrical contacts and connectors that are attached to electrical wire conductors and circuits by various well known soldering, bonding and crimping techniques.
A particular problem associated with the handing and assembly of small elongated components is that the components have different end configurations that require reliable orientation thereof for utilization in automated assembly processes.
The above problem is handled by some systems that pre-form or pre-assemble the components into a strip or belt type carrier, having a fixed orientation, for utilization in a crimping or processing machine. The use of such fixed configurations may require more complicated designs of the components and the processing machines, and often result in excessive scrap of the unused carrier materials. Also, some components can not be so adapted for such fixed orientation carrier feeding configurations.
A terminal handling apparatus of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,904 entitled Apparatus for Rotating an Electrical Lead About its Axis. The patent describes a machine for receiving a thin rectangular terminal connector on a conveyer belt and rotating the terminal over to re-position the crimping tangs within a crimping machine for processing. The prior art does not address the problem of inverting such a component end-to-end to a desired orientation for utilization; and does not indicate how such an apparatus could be adaptable to solve this problem.
The utilization of small elongated components is usually more efficient when the components can be handled in loose bulk quantities. Various machines have been developed to handle loose bulk quantities of components, particularly electrical pin contacts. Such machines usually incorporate a vibratory bowl having an internal helical track leading to a sorting gate and an exit chute. The efficient orientation of components within a vibratory bowl require components having a heavy end or a shoulder configuration near one end that allows most of the components to be arranged by vibration properly oriented into the track and sorted by the gate for dispensing and for re-circulating those few that are not properly oriented. An example of such a component handling device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,222 entitled Apparatus for Dispensing Elongated Small Mechanical Parts, which was invented by the inventor of the present invention.
A particular feeder problem is presented by small elongated components that have different end configurations and have no shoulder to facilitate reliable orientation in a vibratory bowl. An example of this type of component is a commonly used female electrical pin connector (identified as MIL-C-39029/57-357 contact size 22D) having one end with a hollow diameter for connection with a mating male pin connector, and having one end with a somewhat smaller hollow diameter for crimping to a wire conductor. These connectors are used in multiple-connector, high density circuitry applications having very tight space requirements, and the specifications do not permit a shoulder on the component. (The mating male connector is relatively smaller and does have a shoulder, and can be handled by conventional feed devices for utilization by current crimping machines.) Conventional bowl and feeder devices of these female pin connectors offer about 50% having the desired orientation and require repeated sorting and re-circulation of the components within the bowl. This re-circulation results in inefficient throughput and can cause damage to the components due to excessive handling. Other reliable alternatives, require such connectors to be oriented by hand for utilization in a conventional crimping machine.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a feeder device for receiving small elongated components end-to-end in random orientation and reliably and efficiently dispensing them having a desired orientation for utilization.
It is another object to provide a feeder device for receiving loose bulk components end-to-end in random orientation and reliably dispensing them one-at-a time having a desired orientation upon demand for utilization with a crimping machine.
The foregoing objects are accomplished by an improved feeder device of loose bulk components of the present invention. The feeder device is adapted for receiving elongated components in a random end-to-end orientation, with each of the components having a first end and a reduced diameter second end, and upon demand, for dispensing each of the components one-at-a-time having the second end oriented upwardly as a desired orientation.
The device is generally contained within a housing having an inlet chute adapted to receive the components and an outlet chute adapted to dispense the components. A rotatable disk is positioned laterally between the inlet chute and the outlet chute of the housing, having a diameter corresponding to the length of the first end of one of the components and having a central chamber therein adapted to receive one of the components. The disk is oriented initially at a home position defined as having a first opening of the chamber in communication with the inlet chute and having a second opening of the chamber in communication with the outlet chute. The disk is rotatable to a second position to generally invert the orientation of the chamber above the outlet chute and then back to the home position, thereby having the first opening of the chamber in communication with the outlet chute.
The device further includes a gate positioned laterally in the housing, between the disc and the outlet chute. The gate has an internal end having a slot therein in communication with the second opening of the chamber. The slot having a height corresponding to the length of the second end of one of the components and having a width adapted to receive the second end of one of the components and adapted not to receive the first end of one of the components. Whereby, one of such components oriented with the second end upwardly in the chamber would rest on the slot of the gate, and one of such components oriented with the second end downwardly in the chamber would rest within the slot of the gate. The gate is adapted so that the slot is released from a closed position blocking the second opening of the chamber to an open position not blocking the second opening of the chamber.
The device includes a sensor adapted to determine whether one of the components is oriented having the second end upwardly or with the second end downwardly within the chamber. A controller receives the orientation information from the sensor and is adapted for controlling the gate from the closed position to the open position, and for controlling the rotatable disc to the home position and to the second position.
The device is adapted to function so that, upon demand, when the sensor indicates that one of the components is oriented with the second end upwardly in the chamber, the controller is adapted to release the gate away from the second end of the chamber and dispensed such component into the outlet chute having the desired orientation. When the sensor indicates that one of such components is oriented with the second end downwardly in the chamber, the controller is adapted to rotate the disc to the second position and such component is thereby inverted and dispensed into the outlet chute having the desired orientation.